Match receptacle



March 25, 1930.

J. C. POISTER MATCH RECEPTACLE Filed Aug. 15, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l x Q L 10 =5 INVENTOR. J J C. Poz'a Eer- BY I047, ATTORN March 25, 1930. J. c. POISTER MATCH REGEPTACLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'Filed Aug. 15, 1928 INVENTOR. 177C. Poisf'er ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 25, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MATCH REGEPTACLE Application filed August 15, 1928.

This invention relates to special receptacles and more particularly to a match safe having means for dispensing matches therefrom.

One object of the invention is to provide a match safe adapted to be'secured against a wall or other support and contain a large number of matches, means being provided whereby the matches may be passed from the match safe or receptacle one at a time.

Another object of the invention is to pre- I vent more than one match being dispensed during operation of the dispensing means and to provide actuating means for the dispensing means so mounted that a hand engaging the actuating means will be disposed beneath the dispensing mechanism in position to catch a match as it drops from the dispensing mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide the match receptacle with a bottom which is pivotally mounted and has movement imparted to it by the actuating means of the dis pensing mechanism so that the matches in the receptacle will be agitated and thereby caused to have movement towards the dispensing mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to so form the free portion of the movable bottom as to provide depending arms one of which serves to retain a dispensing element in proper position upon a'shaft upon which it is pivotally mounted and the remaining arms serving as means to deliver a match to the dispensing element and prevent a match from dropping out of the receptacle while a match engaged with the dispensing element is being dispensed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a baffie which will prevent too many matches collecting near the free end of the pivoted bottom and to so mount this baflle that it may be 'agitatedin case the matches do not feed properly towards the free end of the bottom of the receptacle.

Another object of the invention is to so form the front and rear walls of the body that matches can lie close against the inner surfaces thereofwithout their heads interfering with their assuming a proper position in the receptacle.

Serial NO. 299,826.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a view showing the improved match box in front elevation, b Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the match Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View through the same,

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the dispensing element.

The match box constituting the subject matter of this invention includes a receptacle or body portion having a front wall 1, rear wall 2 and side walls 3, which extend downwardly below the lower edge of the front wall and terminate in outstanding reinforcing flanges 4 the under faces of which are flush with the lower edge of the rear wall.

The rear edge portions of the side walls are bent outwardly to form securing flanges 5 which fit flat against the rear wall along opposite sides thereof and the side flanges and portions of the rear wall against which they bear are formed with registering openings through which securing screws 6 are passed to firmly connect the match receptacle with a supporting surface, such as a wall of a room or a supporting board, which in its turn may be suspended in any desired manner. The removable lid or cover 7 which closes the upper end of the body entirely closes the same when in place and is formed with depending flanges along its sides and front while at its back it is formed with a depending tongue 8 which is of slightly less width than the inwardly projecting off-set portion 9 of the rear wall. By this arrangement the tongue may fit between the off-set portion and the surface of a wall against which the receptacle is secured and the cover will be firmly held in place and prevented from accidentally slipping out of its proper position but at the same time allowed to be easily removed when it is necessary to refill the match box.

The bottom plate 10 which closes the lower end of the body is formed of sheet metal similar to that employed for the walls and top of the body and this bottom plate is of such width that it fits loosely between the side walls as shown in Figure 2. Tongues are cut from the rear corner portion of the bottom plate andbentdownwardly to form bearing ears 11 and through these ears extends a pivot shaft12 which is supported in openings formed in the side walls.

It will thus be seen that the bottom plate 10 will be pivotally mounted and may be swung from the position shown in full lines in Figure 3 to that indicated'by dotted lines therein. 7 p

The sheet metal from which the bottom plate is formed is of greater length than the distance between the front and rear walls of the body and it has its free forward end portion slotted to form tongues which are bent downwardly, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. The center tongue 13 is of greater width and depth than the side tongues 14' and disposed slightly in advance thereof, and these tongues have their lower free end portions bent to form forwardly extendinglips or flanges 15 and 16 The lip 15 projects'forwardly a suflicient distance to engage the lower edge of the front wall and thereby limit upward'inovement of the bottom so that it cannot move upwardly beyond the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3, but the lips 16 are shorter and, therefore, donot contact with the front wall but are close enough to it to prevent danger of matches slipping downwardly between the tongues and front wall and dropping'out of the match box while a match is being dispensed. These lips further serve as supports for end portions of a match to be delivered to the dispensing element. In view of the fact that the central portion of the front wall is off-set inwardly, as shown at 17 and the side portions are slightly shorter than the depressed portion, there will be greater space between the tongues 14 and the side portions of the front wall than there is between the central portion and the center tongue, thereby preventing the head of the match from binding while at the same time preventing more than one match from moving into position to rest upon the tongues 16 "at one time. This insures proper delivery of matches to the dispensing element.

The dispensing element which is shown in Figure 5 in perspective is alsoformed of sheet metal and the blank from which this element isformed is'bent in spaced relation. to

its ends to provide arms 18 which extend upwardlyfrom opposite ends of a connecting bridge .19. These arms are formed with alined openings 20 to receive a pivot shaft 21, the ends of which are supported in openings formed in the forward lower corner por tion' of the side wallof the body. Notche's or slots 22 extend upwardly at an incline through the lower portions of the side arms 18 from the inner ends of the tongue extensions-23 of the bridge towards the openings 20 and above these openings 20 are formed notches or recesses 24: which open through the upper ends of the arms. Between thenotches 24 and the forward edges of the arms the upper edges thereof are curved, as shown at 25', and between the notches 24 and 22 the rear portions of the arms have been cut to form arcuate edges 26 disposed within the are followed by the edges 25. It should be noted that, when the dispensing element is in place, its arms extend into the slits between the tongues 13 and 14 close to opposite edges of the tongue 13 and, therefore, this tongue 13 will serve to prevent the dispensing element from slipping longitudinally upon the shaft and the dispensing element will be retained in its proper position upon the shaft. By having the edges 26 of the arms 18 rounded into the notches 24, the arms'may readily pass'under a match directly abovea match being dis.- charged. i

The actuating means element is'formed from a strandof strong wire and this strand is bent intermediate its ends to form a rectangular handle27 having a lower bar '28, side bars 29 and inwardly extending arms 30 which constitutean upper bar for the handle. The arms 30 rest upon the tongues 23 of the dispensing element in position to enter the slots 22 and impart rotary movement thereto as will behereinafter set forth. After forming thearms 30the wire strand is bent to form anupstanding shank 31 which is of sufficient length to extend upwardly from the tongues 23 and ter- "minate adjacent the under surface of the bottom plate 10 and after forming the shank the end portions of the strand are spread apart and'bent to form re'arwardly extending arms 32 which diverge'rearwardly, as

shown in Figure 2, and then extend parallel to each other, the extreme ends of the arms 32 being bent to provide eyes 33 which are loosely engaged about the shaft 12 between the bearing ears 11 and the side walls of the body or receptacle. By thisarrangement the actuating element is 'pivotally' supported from the shaft 12 and the weight of the handle 27 will normally retain it in theposition shown in full lines in Figure 3. Sincethe I. arms of the handle rest upon the tongues 23 of the dispensing element, it. constitutes means to yieldably retain the dispensing ele- "ment in a normal position. I

VVhen the improved match safe is-inuse, it is secured in an upright position against a wall, cupboard or other support and after the lid'or cover'7 is removed a quantity of matches are passed into the receptacle through its open upperzend. Abafile plate 34 which is pivotally mounted upon a shaft '35 is disposed within the receptacle-above its bottom in orderto direct the matches towards the rear of the receptacle as they approach the bottom and prevent them from accumulating in a mass over the free forward end of the pivoted bottom and this bafile plate is formed with a tongue 36 which projects outwardly to an opening formed in the front wall and contacts with its outer surface in order toretain the battle in the proper position shown in Figure 3. This tongue may also be used as a handle when it is desired to agitate matches in the receptacle and cause them to slide downwardly if found necessary. The matches which rest upon the pivoted bottom roll forwardly until they reach its forward end and one of the matches will pass downwardly between the front wall of the receptacle and the tongues 13 and 1 1 with its intermediate portion supported in the notches 24. When it is desired to use a match, a hand is placed beneath the receptacle with the fingers engaging the lower bar 28 of the handle 27 and the handle moved upwardly. As the handle moves upwardly, the arms 30 will enter the slots 22 and by engagement with the upper edges thereof will impart rotary movement to the dispensing element and tilts the dispensing element forwardly so that it would be in a position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3 and the match will roll out of the notches 2 f into the operators hand.

At the same time the arms 32 of the actuating element will swing the bottom 10 upwardly so that the tongues 16 pass within the lower portion of the receptacle and very effectively prevent matches from dropping downwardly out of the receptacle. It should be further noted that matches resting upon the bottom near its free forward end will be caused to roll rearwardly and then forwardly when pressure upon the handle 27 is relieved and, therefore, the matches will be agitated and movement of the matches to- 'wards the forward end of the bottom assured. l Vhen pressure upon the handle 27 is removed, the actuating element drops downwardly and causes the delivery element to return to its normal position and during this movement the bottom will swing downwardly so that a match which has moved into position upon the tongues 16 will enter the notches 24. I have provided a match safe in which a large number of matches may be placed and these matches dispensed one at a time as they are needed.

WVhat is claimed is 1. A match dispensing receptacle comprising a body open at its lower end and having side walls and front and rear walls, a bottom for said body pivoted at its rear end and having its free front end provided with depend ing tongues having outstanding lips, a shaft 1 carried by the side walls below the front end of said bottom, a dispensing element pivotally mounted upon said shaft and held against movement longitudinally upon the shaft by said tongues, said dispensing element being adapted to receive matches passing downwardly between the tongues and front wall of said body, and actuating means to rotate said dispensing element and impart movement to said bottom.

2. A match dispensing receptacle comprising a body open at its lower end and having side walls and front and rear walls, a bottom for said body pivoted at its rear end and having its free front end provided with match supporting means, a dispensing element rockably mounted beneath the free end of said bottom and adapted to receive a match from said supporting means, and actuating means to rotate said dispensing element to dispense a match carried thereby, said actuating means when moved to rotate the dispensing means engaging said bottom to move the same and agitate matches in the body.

3. A match dispensing receptacle comprising a body open at its lower end, a bottom pivoted in said body and having a free forward end spaced from the front wall of the body to provide space for matches to pass out of the body between the bottom and front wall, dispensing means rockably mounted beneath the free end of said bottom to receive a match and deliver the match when rotated, and actuating means for said dispensing means pivotally mounted beneath the bottom and adapted to engage the under face of the bottom to move the bottom and agitate matches with the body when operating the dispensing means.

1. A match dispensing receptacle comprising a body open at its lower end, a bottom pivoted in said body and having a free for ward end spaced from the front wall of the body to provide space for matches to pass out of the'body between the bottom and front wall, dispensing means rockably mounted beneath the free end of said bottom movably mounted beneath the free end of said bottom, and means to actuate the dispensing means having a portion extending beneath the bottom and adapted to engage the bottom and impart movement thereto to agitate matches in the body when moved to actuate the dispensing means.

5. A match dispensing receptacle comprising a body open at its lower end, a bottom pivoted in said body and having a free forward end spaced from the front wall of the body to provide'space for matches to pass out of the body between the bottom and front wall, dispensing means rockably mounted beneath the free end of said bottom and having upstanding arms formed with seats in their upper ends to receive matches, and actuating means adapted to rock the dispensing means and tilt the bottom upwardly into position to close the outlet while moving the dispensing means forwardly to dispense a match.

6. A match dispensing receptacle comprising a body open at its lower end, a bottom pivotedin said body and having a free forward end spaced from the front wall of the body to provide space for matches to pass out of the body between the bottom and front wall, dispensing means rockably mounted beneath the free end of said bottom and having upstanding arms formed with seats in their upper end to receive matches and slots extending upwardly at a forward incline in their lower portions, and actuating means pivoted beneath the bottom and having a portion engaged in the slots to rock the dispensing means when the actuating means is moved. 7 o

7. A match holding and dispensing device comprising a receptacle open at its upper and lower ends and having front, rear and side wall, the front wall terminating above the plane of the lower ends of the sidewalls and the side walls having their lower portions projecting forwardly to provide bearings, a

ward movement of the bottom plate and the lipsvof the side tongues constituting match supports, a dispenser rotatably supported. 7 between said bearings, and actuating means to rotate said dispenser andimpart move ment to the bottom plate.

In testimony. whereof I aflixmy signature,

JAMES o. rorstrnn. as

shaft extending between and supported by a the bearings, a shaft extending between and supported by the side walls adjacent the lower end of the rear wall, a bottom plate for said receptacle pivoted upon the rear shaft and h'aving'its free forward end portion bent downwardly and slit longitudinally to form a center tongue and side tongues, each tongue having its free end bent forwardly to form a lip, the side tongues being shorter than the center tongue, the lip of the center tongue of the front wall and limit upward movebeing adapted to contact with the lower edge ment of the bottom plate and the lips of the i side tongues constituting match supports, a dispenser rotatably supported by the front shaft, and actuating means to rotate said dispenser and impart movement to the bottom plate. i

- .8. A dispensing receptacle comprising a body having walls and a bottom, one wall having an opening therein, a battle pivoted in said body adjacent said wall above the bot tom and provided with a tongue extending having forwardly projecting bearings at their lower ends, a bottom plate for said receptacle pivoted at-its rear end between the side walls and having its free forward end portion bentdownwardly and formed with a center tongue and side tongues, each tongue having its free end extended forwardly to form a lip, the side tongues being shorter than the center tongue, the lip of theicenter tongue-being adapted to contact with the lower edge'of the front wallandlimit up- 

